Hainan海南·琼
China's tropical island — palm-fringed beaches, duty-free shopping, and Li & Miao heritage.
Hainan is China's southernmost province and only fully tropical region. About the size of Belgium, it sits in the South China Sea due south of Guangdong.
Sanya on the southern coast is the country's , while inland mountains shelter and dense subtropical rainforest.
The island is rapidly transforming into a , combining its natural beauty with high-end retail and international forums.
Top Attractions
Culture & Traditions
Li & Miao Heritage
The Li are Hainan's indigenous people, with their own weaving traditions, bamboo-tube rice and a uniquely written script. Wuzhishan and Baoting host living-heritage villages with traditional thatched-roof "boat-shaped houses".
Tropical Cuisine
Coconut chicken pot, Wenchang chicken with rice, Hele crab and bamboo-tube rice are Hainan's four signature dishes — light, often pickle-accompanied and very different from the rest of China.
Free Trade Port
Since 2020 Hainan has been transitioning to a "free trade port" — duty-free shopping in Haitang Bay and Haikou attracts mainlanders specifically for high-end retail.
Qilou Architecture
Haikou's old town and other coastal towns are lined with qilou — arcaded shophouses with the upper floor cantilevered out over the pavement, brought home by 19th-century Chinese emigrants returning from Southeast Asia.
Coconut Coast Identity
The coconut palm is Hainan's official tree and shows up in everything — Wenchang fried chicken cooked in coconut oil, coconut-shell handicrafts and the islanders' famous fondness for coconut juice straight from the tap.
Cities
10 prefecture-level · sorted by tourist popularity- 1
Haikou
海口CapitalThe "Coconut City" and provincial capital — Qilou Old Street, Hainan Provincial Museum, Vulcan Crater Park, and the main gateway for the Guangdong-Hainan ferry.
- 2
Sanya
三亚China's premier tropical resort city — Yalong Bay, Nanshan Guanyin, Tianya Haijiao, and a world-class duty-free shopping hub.
- 3
Qionghai
琼海Eastern coastal city — host of the Boao Forum for Asia, the Wanquan River estuary, and famous for its Tanmen fishing port seafood.
- 4
Wenchang
文昌The "Home of Coconuts" and overseas Chinese — Wenchang Space Launch Site (China's only coastal spaceport), Wenchang Chicken birthplace, and Dongjiao Coconut Grove.
- 5
Wanning
万宁China's surfing capital — Riyue Bay (world-class surf breaks), Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden, and the scenic coastal highway.
- 6
Danzhou
儋州Northwestern Hainan — Ocean Flower Island (massive man-made resort), the ancient salt pans of Yangpu, and the Dongpo Academy where poet Su Shi was exiled.
- 7
Wuzhishan
五指山The central mountain city — gateway to Mount Wuzhi (Hainan's highest peak), Li and Miao cultural villages, and river rafting.
- 8
Dongfang
东方Western coastal city — famous for its wind farms, Yulin port, and a drier climate popular with winter "snowbirds."
Famous Locals
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